Time for a Climb
April 25, 2020 by New Hampshire Garden Solutions

Last Sunday was the first warm, sunny day we’ve had in over a week so I decided to climb the High Blue trail up in Walpole. It’s actually more of a walk than a climb but with my lungs it does have enough of an uphill slant to get me huffing and puffing.

I saw that the rain we had in Keene the day before had fallen as snow here, and it hadn’t melted in shaded areas. There was no ice though.

Years ago there were hundreds of coltsfoot plants (Tussilago farfara) here but then along came a logging skidder and it plowed them all up. On this day I was happy to see that they had made a small comeback. May they be allowed to spread at will.

I could see a little white in this one, which means it was about to go to seed. I also saw lots of insects buzzing around the flowers.

Hobblebushes (Viburnum lantanoides) grow all along the first leg of the trail. In May these flower buds will open to reveal one of our most beautiful native shrub blossoms. The large white, flat flower heads are very noticeable as they bloom on hillsides along our roads. Botanically speaking the flower head is called a corymb, which is a flat topped disc shaped flower cluster. The name hobblebush comes from the way the low growing branches, unseen under last year’s fallen leaves, can trip up or “hobble” a horse or hiker. George Washington thought so highly of them he planted two at Mt. Vernon.

A huge oak tree had blown over and had taken a good piece of soil with it. It’s always surprising to see how shallow growing tree roots really are. That could be because there is lots of water here and the tree’s roots didn’t have to go deeper searching for it. The hole the uprooted tree left was full of water.

There is a lot of good farmland in Walpole and as this cornfield and hayfield show, much of it is still in use. I’ve seen signs of bear in this spot in the past but I was hopeful that I wouldn’t see any on this day.

Before you know it you’re at the trail head. You can’t miss it.

The trail narrows from here on up.

You can hunt at daybreak here but getting to your hunting spot in the dark can be a challenge, so hunters put small reflecting buttons on the trees. A flashlight will pick them out easily, I would think.

One year the meadow that was here suddenly became a cornfield and the corn attracted animals of all kinds, including bears. I’ve seen a lot of bear droppings all over this area ever since, so I carry a can of bear spray when I come here.

In Keene red maples (Acer rubrum) are producing seeds but up here their buds haven’t even opened yet.

Striped maple buds (Acer pensylvanicum) were also behind their lowland cousins.

As I neared the overlook I saw a new sign, so I decided to explore.

Yes, there were ledges and I could see that the rock pilers had been here, piling their rocks. I’m guessing that they took them from one of the stone walls, which carries a fairly hefty fine if you get caught at it. I’m always at a loss as to why anyone would do this because these piles of rock don’t mark a trail and are meaningless, for the most part.

Other than a nice quartz outcrop there was really nothing here to see; trees blocked any view there might have been.

I left the ledge and kept on toward the summit and as I usually do when I come here, I had to stop at what’s left of the old foundation. I’m not sure who lived up here but they had plenty of courage and were strong people. All of this land would have been cleared then and sheep would probably have lived in the pastures. It was a tough life in what the Walpole Town History describes as a “vast wilderness.” But it was populated; many Native Americans lived here and they weren’t afraid to show their displeasure at losing their land.

There are an estimated 259,000 miles of stone walls in the northeastern U.S., most of which are in New England, and many are here in New Hampshire. The stones were found when the recently cleared pastures were plowed and they were either tossed into piles or used to build walls, wells, foundations and many other necessities of the day. Sometimes entire houses were built of stone but wood was plentiful and easier to work with, so we don’t have too many stone houses from that time. Most of what we see is used in stone walls like this one, which cross and crisscross the countryside in every direction.

This pond on the summit must be spring fed because it never dries up completely, even in drought years when the streams dry up. I always wonder if it was the water source for the family that once lived here.

I always take a photo of the sign when I come here. What it means is that at 1588 feet above sea level the summit is higher than the surrounding terrain, and the view is always blue.

The view was blue on this day but hazy as well. Still, you could just see the ski trails over on Stratton Mountain in Vermont, which is just across the Connecticut River Valley. I sat for a while, thankful that I made it up without meeting up with any bears. I’ve heard that more and more animals are getting used to seeing fewer people these days and everything from squirrels to deer to bear are being seen in towns, walking down city streets and even sunning themselves on lawns. It makes me think that if people suddenly disappeared it wouldn’t take animals long to get used to the silence.

When I got back to my car I found a winter dark firefly (Ellychnia corrusca) on my door handle. According to Bugguide.net, these fireflies can be a pest in sap buckets in the spring because they like maple sap, and they will also drink from wounds in maple trees. They like to sun themselves on the sunny side of trees or buildings, but this one seemed happy on a car door handle. Most fireflies live as larvae in rotting wood and forest litter near water and stay in the area they were born in, even as adults. They like it warm and humid, and this recent April day was both. They don’t seem to be afraid of people at all; I’ve gotten quite close to them several times.
Close your eyes and turn your face into the wind.
Feel it sweep along your skin in an invisible ocean of exultation.
Suddenly, you know you are alive.
~Vera Nazarian
Thanks for stopping in. Have a safe and happy weekend!
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Posted in Nature, Scenery / Landscapes, Wildflowers | Tagged Canon SX40 HS, Coltsfoot, High Blue Trail, Hobblebush Buds, Keene, Native Plants, Nature, New Hampshire, NH, Olympus Stylus TG-870, Quartz Ledges, Red maple Buds, Spring, Spring Hiking, Stone Walls, Striped Maple Buds, Walpole New Hampshire, Winter Dark Firefly | 20 Comments
I sometimes wonder if the rock piles (are they called “cairns”?) are an anonymous “Kilroy was here” type of thing…..
Thank you Allie. Cairns are useful because they mark trails or other important features, but these piles of rock don’t mark anything and in fact they are often in the way.
Mr. Norcross, Could you please add my friend to your list? She loves your blog and couldn’t figure out how to ask you herself. Sylvia Anderson is sylvia1@gsinet.net
Thanks, Elaine Schmottlach
I sent you friend an email with instructions and copied you in on it.
Thanks very much!
Looks a little more wintery than I expected. Nice view, even with the haze.
Winter hangs on here sometimes late into spring.
It’s good to see that the coltsfoot (feet?) are returning. Those big machines do so much damage, I am sure. I find rock pilers irritating, too – I cannot see why they would want to do it! I have heard that geocachers use these piles of rock to hide their treasure or as pointer.
Thank you Clare. Yes, a log skidder can do tremendous amounts of damage to a forest. Logging had much less impact when it was done with horses!
Having geocahers actually using a rock pile for something makes me feel better about them. I thought they piled rocks for no real reason at all. And taking them off stone walls is illegal here because many walls are used as boundary markers.
A few places here are going back to using horses for logging. It’s so much better for the land – but not quite so fast.
I see horses logging here too, but not enough of them!
It6 is a bit disappointing when you have got that high, won a great view and then find that it isn’t as clear as you would like. But it still must be quite an airy feeling to be up there.
Yes, it looks directly west and the wind almost always blows up there but it is a nice hike and a nice view as well, even if the camera doesn’t always think so.
With interest, I’ve seen you post several times about the stone walls in your region. For some reason, when I saw your pictures today, and it being springtime, I was reminded of the Robert Frost poem, Mending Wall. I’ll share an excerpt, but there’s more to it. Thank you for another lovely walk in the woods!
…The gaps I mean,
No one has seen them made or heard them made,
But at spring mending-time we find them there.
I let my neighbor know beyond the hill;
And on a day we meet to walk the line
And set the wall between us once again.
We keep the wall between us as we go.
To each the boulders that have fallen to each.
And some are loaves and some so nearly balls
We have to use a spell to make them balance:
‘Stay where you are until our backs are turned!’
~ from Mending Wall, by Robert Frost
Thank you Cheri. I used to build and mend stone walls myself so I know how Mr. Frost felt! Some of them do tend to fall apart
I think I’d love to have a stone wall, even if it did have to be mended from time to time. Especially if it served as a backdrop for beautiful native wildflowers like those you share here!
All that stone stores a lot of heat from the sun and releases it slowly, so many wildflowers grow along and even in stone walls.
So that’s what that insect is, winter dark firefly (Ellychnia corrusca). We have them here, too, and I used to see a lot of them on the old maple tree out front. The tree was dying and dropping large branches, and eventually had to be cut down. These bugs were all over it.
As always, I enjoyed the tour through your woods and the natural history lessons, Allen. Thank you!
You’re welcome Lavinia. As insects go this one was relatively easy to identify. Not many other insects are seen when it’s so cold!
Glad you had a nice day for your climb and didn’t meet any bears!
Thank you Susan, I was happy about that too!